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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 1955)
Battalion Editorials Page 2 THE BATTALION THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1955 A New Philosophy “This year’s going to be different.” No, we’re not talking about the old Aggie football refrain. For that, each year (and next year) is going to be different. We’re just leading into the fact that this editorial is going' to be different. For years, the editorials in this special “Back to School” edition have just summar ized the changes which took place over the summer vacation. For those, this year, may we refer you to the news stories and the wel comes in other pages of The Battalion. This year let’s talk about you. Yes, you senior, you junior, you sophomore, you fresh man, you civilian, you corps, you air force corp£, and you army corps. With all of the differentations available to put one student in one category and another student in some other category, we can find only one thing that all have in common . All of the “yous” (excuse) are students at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. College life is a society, and men must hold something in common for a society to evolve. Since the only characteristic com mon to us all here is that we are students, let us build upon that. Even with the idea of our society in*mind, we still find two alternatives of degree. Is our society to be an open society or it it to be closed? A society that rejects all pro posed changes is a closed society, possessive ly clinging to what it has already attained instead of daring to make actual the full abundance which should be its natural heri tage. In such a society, or college atmos phere, are we now living. But change is afoot. The new trend is toward building the philosophy of the* school around all its students, not just the corps students, or civilians or the various classes. The military life of the college, the Corps of Cadets, has been put under the office of the Dean of the College, an academic side of A&M. Or, if you prefer your facts bluntly, it has been put in its place. Texas A&M College is not a military in stitution ; it could not survive as a military institution. It is a place where boys (sorry, no girls) can go to further their knowledge of life, both by experiencing and through study, while they are growing into men. And modern life is dynamic; it has changed so that the Old Army way of making men out of boys has no place in society—ours or any other in this world. The military is here, the Corps of Cadets is here, and a welcome and needed part of our overall progrlvm. But it is not the entire program. And what has been said about the military side of life at A&M applies equally well, with changed titles, to civilian life and to the caste system of ranking by year. Within the Corps’ program, of course, in tegration of classes would be impossible. As a student advances in classification he na turally learns more and is able to assume more responsibility. But his greater re sponsibility is to the school and, most of all, to himself. No one really asks integration of classes —only respect for the dignity and rights of others. And these rights cover a far wider range than could ever be defined within the limits of the Cadet Corps or civilian student programs. The extra-curricular activities of our college (and the Corps is not such; it is the lab for ROTC) are the programs organ ized and directed by the members of our society—students. And if a student can do the job, let him stand or fall upon the results he obtains. Fish Jones might have some new, or might not have some old, ideas. Old Army has gone; New Army is not the answer nor is civilian “Esprit de Corps.” Our error was not that we sought such things, but that we tried to carry them to extremes—and hold them there. We have placed in danger the principle that an aca demic institution should be founded upon: individual freedom, the right to get what you can from school—to become an integral and useful part of a group, not a mechanized cog in a wheel. Who pulls the strings when the master is gone? Pinocchio had his Blue Fairy; he became human and was able to experience and un derstand life. But not many people believe in Blue Fairies anymore. And those who do, shouldn’t. Both in this editorial and in reality we’re a long ways from the kind of society we need to build—a new order centered around the persons in it; a society strong and coopera tive in its diversity. An open society, uni fied through its individuality. But we should be patient; it takes time for all change. Change calls for a new phil osophy, and philosophy is subject to indi vidual interpretation. Just look at what has happened to the ideas of some of the men who have most influenced civilization: Christ, Newton, Darwin, Marx, Keynes and Einstein. All had hopes. For us, then, can we hope? Can we learn to accept a student for what he is and ac cord him respect for what he can do? Can we accept our new philosophy of student life in its full meaning—of students as individ uals, not as one more Corps’ boy, civilian stu dent, senior, junior, sophomore or freshman. Cadet Slouch by James Earle New A&M Dean Welcomes Students Back Howdy—and Welcome! I hope I do not appear presump tuous in “welcoming’” those of you who have been at Texas A&M longer than I. After nearly three month on the campus, however, during which time I have enjoyed the friendliness and the hospitality for which Aggieland is known, I can say that I have come to like this college a gerat deal, and that I feel as if I’ve been an Aggie for a long time! I am pleased to be associated with you at Texas A&M. We are all a part of a great college—a college which increas ingly is attracting favorable atten tion throughout the nation. A sound academic program, an able faculty and staff, a capable and talented student body, fine oppor tunities for co-curricular partici pation and development, and a beautiful campus are ours. As we begin this new year, rec ognizing with pride the opportuni ties which are ours, it is my hope that we may also recognize the responsibility which each of us has to keep Texas A&M great—and to make this college greater. Our dedicated and undivided loyalty and support, coupled with improved fa cilities and expanded services and offerings, should lead to an even finer Texas A&M. Again, I’m happy to be here. Speaking for the faculty and staff, we’re happy you are here. May the year ahead be one of good fun and fellowship, meaningful work, and fine development for us all. May God richly bless each of you! Sincerely, Kobert B. Kamm, Dean Student Personnel Services EE Wives To Hold Meeting Monday Electrical Engineering Wives’ will hold their first meeting of the fall semester Monday at 8 p.m. in room 2-A of the Student Center. Mrs. M. M. (Rosie) Newsom, acting chairman, announced that they will elect officers and make plans for new members’ campaigns. An invitation has been extended to all EE Wives as well as the faculty. Traditional ‘O & A’ Gone Freshmen Get New Boot This article, dealing with a col lection of writing, represents it self a collection of thoughts by the three book editors and the writer. It is being run because the fresh man year is so important to a stu dent at Texas A&M, and of all courses to be taken, including those of the major field of study, none are more important than the fresh man English courses 103 and 104. These courses, coming at the gene sis of one’s college career, provide the best chance for a student to re assess his standing—past, present and future—in life, and to prepare his mind for experiencing the full ness and swiftness of life at col lege. “I must do something, anything, to fight against the deadening rou tine that numbs me.” John Dos Passes. And in one’s reassessment, facil itated by books like “Opinions and Attitudes” and “Readings for Thought and Experience,” comes the opportunity for true open- mindedness, the best defense against anything becoming rou tine. . . . Bill Fullerton A tangible object having intangi ble qualities of greatness has now left A&M. This object is a book, well-known to all undergraduate students, which has become almost a tradition at tradition-ridden Tex as A&M College. This book, “Opinion and Atti tudes,” edited by Dr. Stewart S. Morgan, head of the English De partment, was for a long time the key to starting new students here off on a quest of knowledge. It had its faults, but as a whole was a good anthology of some of the best minds in various fields of knowledge. In its place is coming another book, this one edited by three A&M English professors, these being Drs. Morgan, John Q. Hays and Dr. Fred E. Ekfelt. Having kept constantly within reach the “O and A.” edited by Dr. Morgan and knowing personally the other two professors, this writer feels certain that this new collection of essays for courses in college composition, “Reading for Thought and Expres sion,” will be a true reflection of three minds seeking to'reproduce the best. The 542-page book is being pub lished this month by the MacMill- ian Publishing Company of New York, and will be used this year in freshman English coui*ses at A&M and other colleges. Dr. Morgan said the book should be here about a week after the beginning of the term. It will be used in English 103 and 104. The book contains 49 essays, classified under 10 different head ings, some of which are “Democ racy,” “The Mind,” “Science,” “Ed ucation” and “Familiar Writings.” The chief purpose of the new book, say the editors, is to introduce the student to the conflict of opinions on modern problems and to stimu late him to reassess his own ideas. Most of the essays were first published in the past 10 years. The edtors, assuming an objective point of view, have presented es says illusti'ating different opinions ana ways of thinking. Represented in the book are such well-known modern writers as Al- LV bert Schweitzer, James Thurber, E. B. White, A. Whitney Griswold, Julian Huxley, Barbara Ward, Jos eph Wood Krutch and Chester Bow les. Along with these are several young writers, like Ian Stevenson and Oscar Handlin, much less fa- milian as contributors to books of this kind. The collection also in cludes pieces by 19th century writ ers, for example, Charles Lamb and Thomas Henry Huxley, and writers of the last generation, Henry Mencken and James Harvey Robinson. As did its predecessor, the new book has exercises for each es say, some aimed to help the stu dent read with greater comprehen sion and some giving- suggestions for topics to be used in writing. The book, according to the edi tors, attempts to illustrate various degrees of formality in good writ ing and to indicate the different styles used by good writers. Cadet Slouch Back Again FRITZ and JOE’S (Old Hrdlika Place) COMPLETELY REMODELED BETTER RAR-B-Q and COLD DRINKS i/ 2 Mile South of Kyle Field Cadet Slouch, the most famous or infamous clow-n on the A&M campus in cartoon form, will be back starting his third year with the Battalion with this issue. He will be coming to us via mail from Jacksonville, Tex., where his creator James Earle is residing since having been graduated in architecture last spring. Earle has been drawing Slouch nearly two years now and has become very popular with the. A&M student body. It’s rumored that some peo ple read the comic strip and throw the rest of the paper away! Slouch has gone through many trails and tribulations since enter ing A&M, but finally graduated last year. When Slouch graduated adver tisers threatened to quit running Battalion ads, students said they would never read another paper and it was thought the post office would revoke the Battalion mail ing permit because the paper was cluttering the MSC floors like un wanted box holder advertisements. Now things are back to normal cy. Cadet Slouch is returning. Part of the time though, in comic strip form, Slouch will be a civiban stu dent. He entered a syndicate con test this summer and knew he wouldn’t stand a chance in uni form. DON’T BUY UNTIL YOU’VE CHECKED IT'S FRESHER ... WHEN BOTTLED LOCALLY! Yes, ma’am, you’ll get fresher milk from this friendly milk man because the milk he delivers comes from local farms. De livery is not delayed by long-distance haul ing. Your milkman is dependable, too. He’ll see that fresh butter, cream, cottage cheese, and other dairy products are there when you want them. At your favor ite food store or Phone 376J fAILKDROP MQE SEZz CARE makes it GOOD! FQRm DBEftlES Phone 3763 Bryan, Texas Guiort 0 OPEN SATURDAY — 1 P.M. “THE WILD ONE’’ Marlon Brando Th e Battalion The Editorial Policy of The Battalion Represents the Views of the Student Editors The Battalion, newspaper of the Agricultural and • i College of T exas and the City of College Station, is publkh^H K ani ? a ‘ dents four times a week during the regular school year n - y S A U ' summer terms The Battalion is published once a w GP C a ^ • e examination and vacation periods, once a week. Davs TY and during are Tuesday through Friday for the regular school P W b K ,lcat J on during the summer terms, and Thursday during examiko J’ Ahui ; scl ay cation periods. The Battalion is not published on th^ w^ ^ nd - Va - mediately preceding Easter or Thanksgiving. Subscrimin day lm ‘ $.».o0 pei semester, $6.00 per school year, $6.50 per lull v „ n raAe s are per month. 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